The encouragement is overwhelming! Seriously. Thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing and messaging. Thank you for keeping me in line.

Please continue to read & review! It's a little shorter, but still mind-boggling and better than nothing.

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I only take cred for the OCs

~OoOoO~

"I'm really sick of running, you know that, Midget?" Gajeel huffed under his breath as his lungs burned with each step he took. The sensation was becoming a continual occurrence, given the amount of running he had been doing over the past few days. He could taste the metal in his mouth from the exertion, and was certain that his throat was raw.

His heart thudded in his chest, and his arm curled around Levy more tightly. Her body was warm and limp against the trained muscles of his torso. He tried to lope as cautiously as he could, so as not to jar her in fear of injuring the woman further. To the untrained eye, she looked fine, but Gajeel knew that the internal damage could still very well kill her. He had never felt thankful toward Lucy's Celestial Spirits—in fact, he had mocked her magic many times before—but he would forever be indebted to them.

He would mock no more. There was a strength far more useful buried within the blonde Stellar Mage. He had been astonished at the amount of growth he recognized in Lucy. What he would consider her ditzy exterior had been shed for a tempered confidence. She was finally at ease with her abilities, and Gajeel was certain she could hold her own next to the best of them.

The dragon slayer raised his nose, inhaling in short bursts with moderate force, hoping for a scent of Wendy. His eyes darted from left to right: perhaps it would be easier to see her. The battlefield spanned too great a distance, and finding her was proving to be an annoying challenge. People turned to look at him as he ran by, leaping over dead bodies of both friends and foes. Their eyes fell on Levy, instantly recognizing her and the dire straits Gajeel was currently finding himself shoved into. Some fought more furiously, shielding him as he forged on toward his unspoken destination, others called out encouragement. It was as if they knew what was in his heart, and that thought brought a lump to his throat. He made a silent pledge to defend them all with his life; if only his heart could heal.

"I'm sorry, Levy. I just didn't make it in time. I had to do something for Makarov." he told her under his breath as he caught a faint whiff of the familiar scent he would designate as Wendy's. She smelled of flowers (he had no clue what type) and what he would call hope. His heart beat more furiously as he thought about the possibility of Levy never awakening unless he could find Wendy in time.

He made a sharp turn right, his foot hitting something hard, forcing him to roll forward with the unconscious mage in his arms. He tucked her close, throwing his body over her and holding her solidly to his chest. He rolled over once, coming up on one knee, his other foot planted firmly in the ground as he shoved his heel into the dirt.

"What the fu—" he began, his eyes narrowed angrily as his head whipped around.

"Watch where you're going, assho—is that Levy?" Gray shot back, his eyes falling on Gajeel and the woman in his arms. His expression changed as his words faded and face paled with realization, "No…."

"Not yet," Gajeel's lips twitched as he pressed them together. "I need….to find Wendy."

His eyes drifted over Gray, who was worse for wear, holding his left arm to his chest and a swollen right ankle that might be broken, Gajeel guessed. It was purple and the size of a small melon. Not a natural shape for an ankle, he wanted to remark.

Someone chuckled to his left, and Gajeel's head quickly turned toward the source. A lanky, pock-faced mage with a robe all-too-large for him clapped his hands together unceremoniously. He was hunched over, his back twisted and his fingers gnarled. He must have had a hard life looking as he did, but his condition didn't conjure sympathy from Gajeel, who immediately disliked the enemy mage's stagnant body odor. He reeked of metal and something noxious that Gajeel couldn't quite place.

"You got this, Gray?" Gajeel asked softly, his priority entangled in his arms. He twitched with the anticipation to fight, but the disfigured enemy only watched him with dark, liquid pools of eyes. Gray was known for being able to keep his cool, usually coming out the victor due to his ability to anticipate the enemy's weakness. There was no reason for Gajeel to doubt Gray's competencies now.

"Get her to Wendy," the ice mage straightened as best he could, his fingertips emitting frozen crystals. His eyes were locked on his opponent, as if awaiting the next move. "I got this."

I don't need help, there are more important things.

Gajeel cast another wary look at the enemy, nodding furtively as he sprang into an easy pace once again. He glanced over Levy, looking for new injuries. He was relieved to find none.

"You're Sleeping Beauty will be next, after I finish with your comrade," the enemy murmured as Gajeel fled the fight.

Anyone else would have missed those words. But a dragon slayer easily heard them. He clasped Levy close, his worry for Gray outweighed by his fear of her safety. He knew the man was goading him, and he couldn't be distracted. Not now. It would only endanger the woman in his arms.

"Don't…..don't you dare…leave Gray…" a soft whisper answered his thoughts.

Gajeel's eyes widened as his step faltered. He could hear the two men battling again, but the noise did not drown out her voice. His own caught in his throat. Her eyelids fluttered open, and recognition flickered across her face as her eyes fell upon him.

"I…knew you'd come." She attempted to smile, but fell short.

"Don't speak, I'm looking for Wendy!" he told her, momentarily picking up his pace.

"I'll….be..fine..help him," her voice was stronger. Commanding, he would call it. I don't want to live on the account of losing another life.

He stared at her, fear lumping in his throat. She looked up at him, every ounce of glare she had matching his uncertain look. He closed his eyes and swallowed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he came to a complete stop.

"Of course you would say that, Midget."

"Just help him…..put..me..down somewhere, please," she whispered, her eyelids growing heavy. "I will still be here when you…win."

This time, she did manage to smile, but her eyes did not open again. Had he not been able to hear her soft breathing, he would have thought those to be her last words. He considered her wishes, and decided that he wouldn't disobey her. Not now. Not ever, for that matter. He gently lowered her against a charred stump of a tree, her body shielded from sight. He pulled a dead woman's cloak over her, hoping that would disguise her from those wishing harm. He watched her for a second more, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction from her words. It was as if she knew he was yearning to fight. He bent down and brushed his lips over the top of her head, and he felt her hand rest on his forearm. She did not open her eyes, but he knew that it was a significant gesture on her part. Tears pricked his eyes, but he squeezed them shut more tightly as his ears caught the battle behind him. With a sigh of resignation, he straightened and quickly turned toward where his friend was fighting for his life.

He cracked his knuckles as he drew closer, leering murderously. "What'd ya say, ya piece of shit? Are you all talk?"

His answer was a cry from Gray, "What are you doing? Save her—save Levy, you idiot!"

"She told me to help you, and I'm not arguin' with her!" Gajeel shot back.

Gray's short distraction was enough to allow the sharp end of what appeared to be a metal tail to snake out of the mage's robe, quickly and soundlessly piercing the ice mage's shoulder. The bladed tip easily slid in and out of the joint, and Gray hollered in pain as he quickly used his ice to staunch the bleeding, eyes wide with panic. The tail retracted under the enemy mage's cloak as quickly as it appeared. The movement pushed the gnarled man's cloak aside long enough for Gajeel to glimpse the metal appendages welded into his flesh. He nearly recoiled in surprise, but the vision accounted for his earlier observation. He had smelled the burnt and oozing flesh. The man was a human experiment, and the sadism he endured was a testament to his insanity.

The metal stinger appeared once again, this time hovering hovered near the mage's head, oozing with Gray's blood. The hunched man reached up, his fingertips dabbing the blood and descending to his nostrils. He inhaled deeply, eyes rolling back into his head as his tongue darted out to taste the warm liquid.

"That sick bastard!" Gray cried indignantly.

"Dammit, how're you losing to this freak?" Gajeel asked, shaking his head. The enemy turned to look at him, a thick eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Underestimating me will only cause your death much sooner!" the mage chided as his tail shot toward Gajeel. It snaked and weaved, and the dragon slayer knew it was no ordinary apparatus.

Gajeel dodged the attack, landing easily on the ground. He didn't hear the weapon recoil, only feeling the biting sting of the metal instrument as it pierced between the ribs under his right shoulder blade. He felt a ripping chest pain that made him nearly drop to his knees. He gasped for air, the urge to cough too great. He avoided a second attack, but staggered, the bloody sputum spraying from between his lips. His foe attempted a third attack, but Gajeel coated himself in scales. Gray used an ice spear to pierce their opponent under his left arm during his moment of inattention, and the man countered with a deft swing of the metal appendage, hitting the ice mage in the temple and forcing him to stagger. Gray's eyes were wide with shock as blood obscured his vision from the wound in his forehead.

"What kinda costume is this?" Gajeel looked disgusted, his hand buried under his right armpit. "You attached this to your body? Whatta freak."

The enemy mage's eyes were bulging from his head. "It's the ultimate transformation, you dolt! You don't understand—you can't understand the beauty of the sacrifice!"

"I don't even want to," Gajeel growled, hoping to continue stalling the man as he furiously thought of a way to overcome him.

"Dragon slayer," the enemy hissed. "Metal dragon slayer…. by now, you should be feeling the effects of the iron in your blood."

Gajeel's eyes opened wide, an odd raking sensation running down his neck. No.

"Oh yes. I can assure you I've studied your kind. You are stronger, faster, and more agile—more so than other dragon slayers because you have something they don't, do you know what that is?"

Gajeel remained silent, his eyes darting toward Levy, who was seemingly unconscious, covered by the dirty dingy cloak.

"You have more iron in your blood than the others—meaning you have a greater capacity to carry oxygen to your muscles." The mage continued to educate Gajeel, "You crave metal because you have a high turnover and it's a quick fix. But—"

"Shut up," Gajeel hissed. "I don't care about your shit explanations."

"Oh, just sit back and listen. Your chest hurts, doesn't it? It's just your heart crying out because you have too much iron in your blood. Yes, yes, yes, I fortified my stinger—" he patted the metal appendage like it was a loving pet, "for this very reason. I didn't realize it would work so perfectly!"

Gajeel roared, his body covered in shiny dragon scales. His arm drew back as he tried to lunge toward the mage, but his feet suddenly felt too heavy. His scales began to gently slough from his body. He looked at his hands. "How'd—my scales?"

"Simple. Too much iron. Your body is dying. You are dying!" His foe cackled and danced. "All that metal is aggregating in your blood stream because of my poison!"

Gajeel looked at Levy, his vision swimming somewhat as realization washed over him. His chest felt heavy. He had failed both himself and one of the few people closest to him. "Midget….I messed up. I'm sorry."

Gray was suddenly beside Gajeel, his shoulder propping up his friend. "Don't you even think that this is the end, do you hear me? Didn't take you for a quitter."

Gajeel looked at him soberly. "Save it, Preacher Man. You're in worse shape."

"Here," came the soft voice. Gajeel, confused, turned to find the word floating from Levy's pale outstretched fingertips. Her face was ashen and she watched from heavy-lidded eyes. She winced from the movement, her lower lip quivering. Had she seen him this entire time? When had he become so vulnerable?

The words floated toward him, tarnished and rusted block letters. He reached for them, the word a foreign entity to him. Chelation.

He had no idea what 'chelation' meant, or even how to pronounce it, for that matter. His fingers missed it, as they suddenly gripped his chest, the pain too great and the pressure heavy. The words bounced off of him, falling to the ground. More scales flaked from his skin, though he didn't recall forming them. His muscles felt weak and each breath became more difficult to pull into his lungs. He fought to maintain consciousness.

"Gajeel, eat that," he though heard Levy's soft pleading cry. "Please!"

The concern in her voice sobered him, giving him a jolt of energy. He reached with fumbling fingertips and felt Gray shove the word into his chest with enough force to crack a rib. He knew the ice mage was fearful for his companion's life as well. He shakily lifted it to his mouth, his tongue reaching out and lapping at the letters. He took a hesitant bite, barely chewing before swallowing. As he did so, his ears prickled with the sound of the enemy's attack. His eye caught the glint of the stinger as Gray shoved him aside with a grunt of profanity before creating an icy barrier. The tail blindly snaked around it, and Gray ducked and dodged, the stinger stabbing through one of his hands and anchoring it to the ground. The ice wall crumbled, and Gajeel devoured Levy's spell for fear of impending doom to his friend. His body was still too numb to help his comrade, and he was becoming increasingly frustrated. The enemy mage cackled, a second tail slipping from his robe and rising high. Gajeel knew that it was meant as a final blow to Gray. He tried to scramble to his awkward feet, his hands clawing into the ground.

A thrum of rumbling began beneath him, growing more vibrant. Stronger.

"Stampede?" was the only thing he could think to murmur in those seconds before the mage would strike Gray with his metal stinger. Gajeel's body was becoming more malleable, but at its own pace. Not nearly quickly enough to save his friend. His teeth were beginning to chatter from the quaking.

Suddenly, the earth tore open next to him, a heavy stream of water breaking through and twisting upwards before arcing and slamming into the enemy mage. The man was throttled backward, the tail embedded in Gray's hand being ripped out as the gnarled mage's body followed the water's trajectory. Gray muffled a scream, his hand bleeding profusely as he adeptly try to staunch it with cold. The ice in his shoulder had melted, and was also bleeding heavily.

Gajeel watched with curiosity, his own suspicions already manifesting. A small smile stretched across his lips as he spoke, only loud enough for her to hear. "It's about damn time."

"Gajeel-kun," she softly replied, sounding pleased and relieved that both he and Gray were still alive.

"Thanks," he muttered, taking in her form with a sense of brotherly pride.

His eyes flickered over her naked frame, now covered in a million tiny glittery scales. She looked down at him through blue locks, her eyes assessing the damage. He had seen her like this only one time, on another occasion—it had scarred her permanently and horribly. It seemed she was able to finally conquer her demons.

"You—" Gray choked, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. She quickly turned toward him, an explanation ready on her lips and her eyes filled with pain.

"Another one?" the enemy mage howled at her as he pushed himself to his feet with more ease than Gajeel expected. One tail was badly damaged, and dangled uselessly from his body. The man reared back, his second tail dangerously poised.

"Fairy Tail has four," Juvia responded calmly, her steps sure and deadly. Gajeel knew that look of bridled anger. She knelt down near Gray, her fingertips touching the deep gash in his brow as the ice mage stared at her in disbelief. She did not look at her enemy as she spoke in clipped sentences. "And you've now hurt Gray. That will not go unpunished."

"You don't stand a chance!" their foe spat venomously.

Juvia straightened in her new form, hands on her hips in a brazen display of confrontation. Her stance worked to provoke him, and he screamed, lunging for Juvia with his working metal appendage ready to strike. She dodged the tail, her body easily dissipating and reforming, her dragon scales iridescent in the light. At times, she was nearly invisible yet impenetrable at the same time. Her elemental expertise seemed so benign, but was far more lethal than Gajeel's. The enemy attacked again, and she dodged with very little effort. With a swipe of her hands, two watery blades hissed past, removing two limbs, one of which was not man-made. Blood spurted from his severed arm as he screamed in pain. She crouched down, her mouth opening. A fiery stream of water launched from her throat, hitting her foe in the middle of his chest. He was launched backward, landing on his leg at an awkward angle. Juvia paced slowly, like a lion stalking her prey.

"You know what's so unique about water?" she asked her enemy, as his eyes filled with recognition of his own defeat.

Juvia did not wait for an answer, quickly dissipating and rushing over him in a burst of water. He spit out the fluid that had gotten into this mouth and nostrils. She reappeared behind him, her slow circling pace continuing as she glanced at Gajeel. Then Levy.

"It, too, lives within all of us. Every living cell." She glanced at the sky, then at her hands as she raised them to her face. "Being a dragon slayer doesn't just mean you can devour that element, it also means you can control it. Completely."

"Mercy?" the man squeaked, the frail human fear surfacing in the once haughty visage.

"As you had for Gajeel? Or Gray?" she spoke to her hands, still. "No…there will be no mercy for you." She snapped her fingers, and suddenly the man's hands went to his face, scratching his flesh as steam began to whistle off his flesh. Juvia walked past him, leaving him to his own fate as her attack prevailed. Finally, the piercing wails ended, and all that remained was a pie of boiled flesh—leaving one of her comrades amused, and the other in utter shock.

Juvia glanced at Gajeel, who was now able to stand without falling over. His muscles were listening to his commands again, and he was beginning to feel like himself. He watched his childhood friend, barely suppressing his own grin of enthusiasm, "It's about time you finally found yourself."

"I…" she glanced at Gray. "Yes, I suppose I needed to conquer my own fears."

"You're late. By like five years," Gray pointed out.

Juvia nodded softly, her eyes flickering away to where Levy was laying. "It's not been easy, has it Gajeel-kun? Juvia still blames herself for her brother's death."

"It was an accident," he told her, loud enough for Gray to hear.

"I was too weak," she shook her head, looking away and clenching her fists. Tears glinted in her eyes.

"You have never been weak," Gray interrupted, understanding the brevity of the situation. She stared at him, incredulous, and he tried to stand, "Never."

Juvia was at Gray's side, crouching down to help him to his feet. She touched the punctures in his chest, but he pushed her hands away, filling the holes with ice.

"You let me think you died!" he suddenly burst out, face red. She stared at him in horror, her mouth opening and closing without words. He studied her face with a hint of pain in his features. She nearly staggered at anger buried in his words. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Juvia looked away, shame in her eyes, "I wanted to. I was…embarrassed."

"I helped train you...when you could have been training me!" He reached out to touch her—as if to make sure she was real—that this was real. She said nothing, staring away and clenching her eyes shut, a tear bursting through her eyelids. Gray said nothing more, his anger abated as he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her toward him, holding her tightly to his body.

Juvia gasped, surprised, eyes snapping open. She stood rigid for some time, tears rimming her eyes. Suddenly, with at hesitant wave of her arms, she was hugging him tightly, shoulders gently shaking with the grief she had so long ago buried deep inside her.

"I'm so sorry, Gray!" she sobbed into his chest. He said nothing, as Gajeel hoped he would, knowing that's what Juvia needed most.

The dragon slayer had known Juvia since they were children. He had Metalicana, and she had Leviatana—sibling dragons. She had been timid, and her brother always jealous that he hadn't been chosen to be trained by a dragon. He disappeared for some time, returning years later to challenge his sister in order to prove that he was more worthy of a dragon's training. Juvia avoided the battle, but was finally forced to defend herself and her friends when her brother carelessly touted his power. In the end, his death had been a circumstance self-defense, but she had never been able to forgive herself, always repressing her power—often manifesting it as a rain cloud that followed over her; a symbol of her misery. It was her baggage; her way of reminding herself of the wrong she had done while keeping others away. Gajeel had never once pushed her, and they had only talked about it one other time—when she had requested he follow her to Fairy Tail. He also suspected that was why Juvia was drawn to Elfman, as he, too, had suffered the loss of a sibling at his own hands.

He pushed the memories aside, surprised to find that he could easily move. Levy was smiling gently as she watched from in and out of consciousness. He strode to her, leaping over the boiled mage and easily lifting Levy into his arms.

"Thanks for saving me. Again," he murmured into her ear as he hoisted her.

He turned to Gray, eyeing his multitude of wounds, "Come with me? You could use a good healing as well."

Gray looked at him over Juvia's shoulder, nodding his head slightly. Juvia stepped back, suddenly self-conscious of her partly nude form, using her hands to cover parts of her body. Gray took notice, his face blazing red as he averted his eyes. Gajeel thought better about making a crude comment, instead giving her the fabric that he had used to cover Levy. The water dragon slayer thanked him.

Gajeel nodded. Something had changed her—really changed her. He thought it had something to do with the inherent family you earned upon joining Fairy Tail. He felt it too, every single day. She smiled softly in return, but didn't follow Gray and Gajeel. The ice mage took notice and turned to look at her questioningly.

"I have to stay and fight," she told them firmly, hands on her hips and lips pursed. Gray's brow furrowed in concern but he said nothing. Juvia stared at him for some time, glancing around at the fighting before shaking her head softly. "I have to help. You are all my family now…."

Gray nodded his head cautiously, and Gajeel could see the hidden panic. After a moment, he voiced his carefully chosen answer: "Don't get killed…..again."

She smiled, "Juvia can promise that."

Gajeel nodded at his friend, before following Gray as the injured ice mage stalked off, muttering his disbelief over Juvia's revelation under his breath. He glanced down at the weakened mage in his arms, considering Juvia's promise.

Were any of them able to make a promise like that? And keep it?